Wood staining apparatus

ABSTRACT

A wood staining system comprises a first staining tank with drive rollers and brushes mounted on movable arbors. The staining tank has a removable liner for quick cleanup. A sump is swingably mounted beneath the tank to a position outwardly of the tank for ease of replacement of fluid either stain or solvent into the sytem. Hydraulic power is delivered from a central hydraulic power supply to a control panel on the staining machine. A second tank is provided in second location and can receive the removable arbors for cleaning the rollers and brushes. Hydraulic jumper lines are inter-connected between the main control panel and the cleaning apparatus so that a power source and control panel serves both staining and cleaning machines.

United States Patent n91 Roberts Sept. 23, 1975 WOOD STAINING APPARATUS Frank D. Roberts, Bellevue, Wash.

[73] Assignee: Cedar Falls Corporation, Bellevue,

Wash.

[22] Filed: Nov. 5, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 412,833

[75] Inventor:

[52] U.S. C1. 118/12; 118/70; 118/109; 118/114; 118/D1G. 9 [51] lnt. C1. 805C l/02; BOSC 11/02 [58] Field of Search l18/D1G. 9, 109, 70, 114, 118/249, 326, 16,52, 12; 134/59; 15/77 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,172,693 2/1916 Fisher 118/D1G. 9 1,664,505 4/1928 Franz 1l8/D1G. 9 3,245,102 4/1966 Gallmeyer et a1. 15/77 3,280,792 10/1966 Heyde 1 1 118/52 3,796,186 3/1974 Bounds et al. 1. 118/326 X Primary Examiner-John P. McIntosh Attorney, Agent, or FirmSeed, Berry, Vernon & Baynham [57] ABSTRACT A wood staining system comprises a first staining tank with drive rollers and brushes mounted on movable arbors. The staining tank has a removable liner for quick cleanup. A sump is swingably mounted beneath the tank to a position outwardly of the tank for ease of replacement of fluid either stain or solvent into the sytem. Hydraulic power is delivered from a central hydraulic power supply to a control panel on the staining machine. A second tank is provided in second location and can receive the removable arbors for cleaning the rollers and brushes, Hydraulic jumper lines are interconnected between the main control panel and the cleaning apparatus so that a power source and control panel serves both staining and cleaning machines.

12 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures US Patent Sept. 23,1975 Sheet 1 of)" 3,906,891

FIGO 11 MG 2 2 30 80 90 4 1.? FM} 3 mi. 5 2i 84 IO 5 F US Patent Sept. 23,1975 we 3 U1 3,906,891

FT '1 ii L 1' COUPLED Fl L J 7 I L511 DISCON- NECTED WOOD STAINING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention pertains to coating machines especially those of the type suitable for staining wood products such as lumber and plywood sheets. The invention also pertains to apparatus for staining wood products and in cleaning the drive rollers and brushes utilized in the staining process.

2. Description of the Prior Art Prior art wood product staining apparatus and methods have involved the use of a single tank on which the drive rollers and bushes are generally permanently mounted. As a result, changing the color of the stain necessarily involved first draining the tank, then substituting a cleaning solvent for the stain in the tank and running the brushes and rollers through several clean ing cycles to clean both the tank and the rollers and brushes. This cleaning technique frequently left residues which contaminated the subsequent stain and required a substantial amount of time during the cleaning cycles to assure even moderately well cleaned brushes and rollers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide apparatus by which staining tank cleanup and drive roller and brush cleanup can occur simultaneously in a minimum amount of time.

It is another object of this invention to provide a staining and cleanup system in which brushes and drive rollers preset to the size and configuration of the wood product being processed can be readily inter changed on the staining machine.

It is another object of this invention to provide a centralized hydraulic power supply and control panel suitable for control of a staining machine and a separate cleaning machine.

It is another object of this invention to provide a unique staining apparatus which is easily and quickly cleaned.

The terms staining and wood products" are used in this application only to indicate the general nature of the process and apparatus being described. Other suitable liquid coating materials can also be used and various other types of products such as press board, etc. can be used rather than lumber and plywood sheets.

Basically, the objects are obtained by providing two separate tanks, one for staining and the other for clean ing and mounting drive rollers and brushes on removable arbors that can be easily positioned either in the staining machine or in the cleaning machine. In this manner, cleaning takes place in a different piece of equipment than in the staining with the result that faster more thorough cleaning can take place in all equipment. Furthermore, while the brushes are being cleaned, the staining tank can be prepared for the next stain. In the preferred embodiment, a plastic sheet is placed over the interior surfaces of the staining tank so that changing to a ditterent stain can be quickly accomplished merely by removing the plastic sheet. A sump is swingably mounted beneath the drain opening of the staining tank so that it can be swung outwardly giving easy access to an operator either for changing stain or for adding cleaning solvent. The method and apparatus do obtain the result of greatly facilitating the cleaning operation of staining equipment, thus reducing down time due to cleaning. In addition, the stain does not contaminate other colors of stain giving a final end product superior to that obtained in previous techniques.

The staining machine and cleaning machines are cooperatively tied together through the use of a common sump and jumper connection between the main control panel of staining machine and the remotely positioned cleaning machine. In this way, a single power supply and set of controls is suitable for both the staining and cleaning operations greatly facilitating the ease of operation and the cost of the total system.

Furthermore, the brushes and rollers are hydraulically powered independently so that independent speed control can be obtained.

A further advantage is that the independently adjustable speeds of the drive rollers and brushes makes feasible the integration of the staining machine with automated feeding or subsequent drying and stacking equipment. Heretofor, this all had to be done by hand since the staining machine was not variably speed controlled, thus being incompatible with the customers existing automated equipment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a schematic floor plan of a preferred embodiment of the invention illustrating a staining machine and a remotely located cleaning machine.

FIG. 2 is a schematic operational illustration showing a plywood sheet arbor in place in the staining machine ready for staining plywood sheets.

FIG. 3 is an operational schematic illustrating both the lumber and plywood sheet arbors in the cleaning machine and the hydraulic and stain circulating system of the staining machine being utilized for controlling and providing solvent to the cleaning apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a schematic operational view illustrating a lumber arbor in place in the staining apparatus ready for staining lumber.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of a plywood staining apparatus involving the principles of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a vertical section taken along the line 66 in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a side elevation of a lumber staining apparatus embodying the principles of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a vertical section taken along the line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a preferred hydraulic schematic illustrating the hydraulic flow circuit as well as the stain and solvent circuit embodying the principles of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The preferred staining apparatus is best shown in FIGS. 59 and includes a frame 10 supporting a tank, excess stain receptacle, or trough 12 having a drain opening I4. As best shown in FIG. 6, a removable disposable plastic sheet 16 is provided over the bottom of the receptacle so that the stain does not contact any of the surfaces of the receptacle. As is readily apparent, a new color stain can be added for a particular run of product and the sheet 16 will be removed and replaced by a clean sheet thus eliminating contamination of the new color stain. Mounted below the drain opening 14 is a sump 18 having a conventional pump 20 for recirculating stain through the staining apparatus. As is well understood, the sump catches the stain passing through the drain opening 14 and pumps it to a stain applying tube 22 to feed the stain onto the product. As is frequently required, the operator must add additional stain to the sump or substitute cleaning solvent for the stain. For this purpose, the sump is hingedly mounted on the frame 10 to be swung into the phantom line position shown in FIG. 6. With the sump readily available to the operator, the sump after being pumped dry, can be wiped clean and the new fluid added. When the sump is filled, it can be put into use merely by pushing it back beneath the drain opening 14 where a magnetic catch 23 will releasably lock the sump in the correct position beneath the drain opening.

Connected in a releasable manner to the receptacle 12 in FIGS. 5 and 6 is a plywood sheet arbor 30. The arbor includes a pair of spaced horizontal support bars 32 that extend outwardly of the vertical side walls of the receptacle 12. The bars are rigidly secured to vertical brackets 34 which respectively mount a set of horizontal brushes 36 and a set of drive rolls 38. The bottom drive roll is fluted as shown in FIG. 5 to enable better gripping of the wood. A metering roll 40 of rubber material or the like abuts against the upper drive roll to assist in spreading stain from the pipe 22 laterally across the surface of the plywood sheets. The upper drive roll is adjustable to vary the gap between the drive rolls for different thicknesses of sheets. The metering roll is also adjustable independently of the drive roll to meter the flow of material or stain that passes onto the plywood sheet as it enters the nip between the metering and drive rolls. Excess fluid runs laterally between the metering roll 40 and the upper drive roll 38 and, if desired, can be caught in pan 44 in which the lower drive roll is immersed. In this way the stain will also be carried to the bottom surface of the plywood sheet if that surface is to be stained. If that surface is not to be stained, the pan 44 is removed.

The brushes and drive rolls are powered by individual hydraulic motors 46 and 48 respectively. The hydraulic motors are of a conventional type that are of variable speed and reversible so that various combinations of rotational direction and rotational speeds between the rolls and brushes can be obtained. This is important in as much as the various types of products sometimes require brush rotation in a direction opposite to that of the drive rolls and at different speeds. As is best shown in FIG. 9, only the bottom drive roll is powered by the motor 48 whereas both horizontal brushes are powered by independent hydraulic motors 46.

It is an important feature of this invention that the hydraulic power and the stain distribution system are controlled through a single control panel which is readily accessible to the operator of the staining machine. This control panel 50 (FIGS. 1 and 6) houses a main control valve 52 which is a manually operated two-way valve. The outlet for the valve 52 is connected to an emergency shut off valve 54 which has a spool operator 56 and is spring biased into the by-pass position. A bar 59 straddles the underside of the receptacle l2 and is pivotally mounted by a cross bar 58 to a pair of side arms 60 that are pivotally mounted on the frame 10. The bar 59 carries a boss 62 on which is rested the spring biased spool actuator 56. As is readily apparent, movement of the bar 58 by the side arms 60 will move the boss 62 out from under the actuator rod 56 allowing the spring bias in the valve 54 to move to the bypass position, as shown in FIG. 9, thus shutting down all power and stain flow to the stain machine.

Flow past the emergency shut off valve 54 is distributed through manually adjusted pressure compensated control valves 64, 66 and 68. Valves 64 and 66 control the flow respectively to the drive roller motor 48 and the horizontal brush motors 46 whereas valve 68 controls flow to vertical brush motors 70 used with the lumber arbor to be described. Next, the hydraulic circuit is connected to another manually operated pressure compensated flow valve 72 that controls flow to a pump motor 74. The pump motor delivers either stain, solvent or whatever liquid is in the sump 18 to the tube 22 when operating in the staining conditions. Finally, the flow passes through a conventional filter and back to the reservoir 76. Pressure is supplied by a pressure compensated pump 78.

As is best shown in FIG. 1, the pump and reservoir are placed at a considerable distance for safety reasons from the main control panel 50. The lines between the valves 64, 66, 68 and motors 46, 48 and 70 are provided with conventional quick disconnect couplings 77, 78 and 79. These couplings can selectively disconnect the vertical brush motors 70 from the hydraulic circuit when the plywood arbor is being run or can connect the pressure compensated valves to jumper lines 80, 81 and 82 (FIG. 3) to allow the hydraulic fluid to flow to a remote location such as at a cleaning station while still operating under the control panel at the staining machine. Similarly, jumper lines 84 and 85 direct flow from the sump to solvent distribution pipes in the cleaning station when the jumper lines 84 and 85 are connected.

As best shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a lumber arbor may be substituted for the plywood arbor 30 in the receptacle 12. The lumber arbor is also provided with horizontal bars 92 that are coupled to vertical brackets 94. The brackets suitably mount drive rollers 96 and horizontal brushes 98. In addition, however, two vertical brushes 99 are provided for brushing the sides of the lumber. A stain feed line 22 is also provided for spreading a film of stain over the top surface of the lumber as it is fed between the drive rollers 96. Excess stain also may be caught in a pan 44 in which the lower drive roller 96 is immersed if it is desired to coat the bottom surface of the lumber.

The plywood or lumber arbors are releasably connected to the receptacles by conventional over-center clamps 102 which have a clamp bar 104 that is pulled down and tightly holds the side bars 92 or 32 in notches provided in the receptacle. The side bars are also provided with spaced bosses on either side of the notches that prevent longitudinal movement of the bars relative to the receptacle.

The vertical brush motors 70 power the vertical brushes 99 whereas separate drive roller motor 48a identical to the drive roller 48 and a pair of separate horizontal brush motors 46a identical with the horizontal brush motors 46, power the respective rollers and brushes.

The method of the invention is best illustrated from FIGS. 1-4. As shown in FIG. 2, the plywood arbor is in place in the receptacle 12 with power directed to the stain machine and the jumper lines disconnected from the cleaning machine. A sheet 16 is in place and the s 1 i su-r'ri'p circulates stain'over plywood that isfed through the machine. At this time, the lumber arbor. 90 is positioned in the cleaning'station having been previously cleaned. Next in FIG. 3, the plywood.arbor-30 is removed to the cleaning station the jumper cables 84, 85 and 81, 82 and 80 are interconnected between the control panel 50 and the cleaning station to allow full operator control of the hydiaulic motors while being operated in the cleaning station. In the cleaning station, solvent is fed from the sump, the stain having been previously removed, while the brushes and drive rollers are rotated and immersed in the cleaning solvent. This quickly assures thorough cleaning of the rollers and brushes. While the plywood arbor is being cleaned, receptacle 12 can also be cleaned by removing the sheet 16 and wiping up any residue that may be found in the receptacle. Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the lumber arbor 90 can be placed in the receptacle 12 and the jumper cable disconnected so that full power control is back in the staining apparatus for running lumber.

The cleaning tanks are best shown in FIG. 2-4 and include a frame 110 having a pair of receptacles 112 and 1 14, the former being for the lumber arbor and the latter being for the plywood arbor. The receptacles 112 and 114 are considerably smaller than the receptacle 12 being of sufficient size merely to just hold the brushes and drive roller so that they may be immersed in solvent in the receptacles without undue waste.

Having described the preferred embodiments, it should be understood that variations will be obvious to one skilled in the art. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited to the specific forms described.

1 claim:

1. A machine for coating solid products comprising a frame, means on said frame for catching excess fluid, arbor means removably secured to said frame in said fluid catching means, said arbor means including horizontal support means lying outside of said excess fluid catching means and a pair of transversely spaced, vertical bars extending downward from said support means into said excess fluid catching means, a pair of rotatable drive rolls and at least one rotatable brush secured to said vertical bars, means for rotating said brush and at least one of said rolls, means for applying coating fluid to said product as it is passed through said rolls and brush, said arbor including a quick release coupling for securing the arbor horizontal support means to said frame whereby the entire set of drive rolls and brush can be removed as an integral unit and wherein the horizontal support means remains out of and thus free of fluid to reduce cleaning time.

2. The machine of claim 1, said arbor means including a pair of brushes for coating both sides of the prodwit.

3. The machine of claim 1 said arbor means including two pairs of brushes at right angles to each other for coating four sides of product.

4. The machine of claim 1 said stain catching means including a replaceable plastic sheet for shielding surfaces of said fluid catching means from said fluid coating thereby allowing quick clean up by merely replacing the sheet.

5. The machine of claim 4, said fluid catching means including a drain opening and a sump swingably mounted for movement from beneath said drain opening outwardly of the frame for allowing ready access by an operator to the sump, said brushand roll rotating means including hydraulic motors mounted on said arbor and respectively connected to said drive roll and brush, a hydraulic control panel'for controlling the hydraulic flow to each motor to control speed independently for the roll and brush.

6. The machine of claim 1 said fluid catching means including a drain opening and a sump swingably mounted for movement from beneath said drain opening outwardly of the frame for allowing ready access by an operator to the sump.

7. The machine of claim 6 including a latch mechanism for automatically releasably holding the sump beneath said drain opening whereby an operator can swing the sump easily into exact alignment beneath said drain opening.

8. The machine of claim 1 said brush and roll rotating means including hydraulic motors mounted on said arbor and respectively connected to said drive roll and brush, a hydraulic control panel for controlling the hydraulic flow to each motor to control speed independently for the roll and brush.

9. A staining and brush cleaning mechanism for staining Wood or similar products of various shapes, such as lumber and plywood sheets, including staining and brush cleaning systems utilizing a common hydraulic power source, comprising first frame means carrying a stain trough, a stain delivery tube, and a hydraulic control panel having an inlet and an outlet, second frame means carrying a solvent receptacle, arbor means selectively positionable in either said stain trough or said solvent receptacle and having a set of drive rolls and at least one brush, means for circulating stain and solvent, a plurality of hydraulic motors for rotating at least one roll and a brush, hydraulic power supply means for delivering a pressurized flow of hydraulic fluid, main coupling means for delivering hydraulic fluid from said supply to said control panel inlet, and secondary coupling means for coupling the outlet of said control panel selectively to said hydraulic motors when said arbor means is positioned in said stain trough and said solvent receptacle so that said control panel is operable to control hydraulic flow to said motors when the arbor means is alternately in both said solvent receptacle and in said stain trough.

10. The mechanism of claim 9, said stain trough including a drain opening and a sump positionable beneath said drain opening and movable outwardly thereof for ease of accessiblity to an operator, and means coupling said sump selectively with said stain delivery tube and said solvent delivery tube for using one said sump for both said stain trough and said solvent receptacle.

1 1. A machine for coating solid products comprising a frame, means on said frame for catching excess fluid, arbor means removably secured to said frame in said fluid catching means, said arbor means including an integrally mounted pair of rotatable drive rolls and at least one rotatable brush, means for rotating said brush and at least one of said rolls, means for applying coating fluid to said proudct as it is passed through said rolls and brush, said arbor including a quick release coupling for securing the arbor to said frame whereby the entire set of drive rolls and brush can be removed as an integral unit, said brush and roll rotating means including hydraulic motors mounted on said arbor and respectively connected to said drive roll and brush. a hying outwardly therefrom, means on said bar for holding said spool actuator in an open flow condition for allowing hydraulic flow to said motors and for allowing movement of said spool actuator upon movement of said safety bar to stop flow to said motors when an operator moves said safety bar.

k l t il i 

1. A machine for coating solid products comprising a frame, means on said frame for catching excess fluid, arbor means removably secured to said frame in said fluid catching means, said arbor means including horizontal support means lying outside of said excess fluid catching means and a pair of transversely spaced, vertical bars extending downward from said support means into said excess fluid catching means, a pair of rotatable drive rolls and at least one rotatable brush secured to said vertical bars, means for rotating said brush and at least one of said rolls, means for applying coating fluid to said product as it is passed through said rolls and brush, said arbor including a quick release coupling for securing the arbor horizontal support means to said frame whereby the entire set of drive rolls and brush can be removed as an integral unit and wherein the horizontal support means remains out of and thus free of fluid to reduce cleaning time.
 2. The machine of claim 1, said arbor means including a pair of brushes for coating both sides of the product.
 3. The machine of claim 1 said arbor means including two pairs of brushes at right angles to each other for coating four sides of product.
 4. The machine of claim 1 said stain catching means including a replaceable plastic sheet for shielding surfaces of said fluid catching means from said fluid coating thereby allowing quick clean up by merely replacing the sheet.
 5. The machine of claim 4, said fluid catching means including a drain opening and a sump swingably mounted for movement from beneath said drain opening outwardly of the frame for allowing ready access by an operator to the sump, said brush and roll rotating means including hydraulic motors mounted on said arbor and respectively connected to said drive roll and brush, a hydraulic control panel for controlling the hydraulic flow to each motor to control speed independently for the roll and brush.
 6. The machine of claim 1 said fluid catching means including a drain opening and a sump swingably mounted for movement from beneath said drain opening outwardly of the frame for allowing ready access by an operator to the sump.
 7. The machine of claim 6 including a latch mechanism for automatically releasably holding the sump beneath said drain opening whereby an operator can swing the sump easily into exact alignment beneath said drain opening.
 8. The machine of claim 1 said brush and roll rotating means including hydraulic motors mounted on said arbor and respectively connected to said drive roll and brush, a hydraulic control panel for controlling the hydraulic flow to each motor to control speed independently for the roll and brush.
 9. A staining and brush cleaning mechanism for staining wood or similar products of various shapes, such as lumber and plywood sheets, including staining and brush cleaning systems utilizing a common hydraulic power source, comprising first frame means carrying a stain trough, a stain delivery tube, and a hydraulic control panel having an inlet and an outlet, second frame means carrying a solvent receptacle, arbor means selectively positionable in either said stain trough or said solvent receptacle and having a set of drive rolls and at least one brush, means for circulating stain and solvent, a plurality of hydraulic motors for rotating at least one roll and a brush, hydraulic power supply means for delivering a pressurized flow of hydraulic fluid, main coupling means for delivering hydraulic fluid froM said supply to said control panel inlet, and secondary coupling means for coupling the outlet of said control panel selectively to said hydraulic motors when said arbor means is positioned in said stain trough and said solvent receptacle so that said control panel is operable to control hydraulic flow to said motors when the arbor means is alternately in both said solvent receptacle and in said stain trough.
 10. The mechanism of claim 9, said stain trough including a drain opening and a sump positionable beneath said drain opening and movable outwardly thereof for ease of accessiblity to an operator, and means coupling said sump selectively with said stain delivery tube and said solvent delivery tube for using one said sump for both said stain trough and said solvent receptacle.
 11. A machine for coating solid products comprising a frame, means on said frame for catching excess fluid, arbor means removably secured to said frame in said fluid catching means, said arbor means including an integrally mounted pair of rotatable drive rolls and at least one rotatable brush, means for rotating said brush and at least one of said rolls, means for applying coating fluid to said proudct as it is passed through said rolls and brush, said arbor including a quick release coupling for securing the arbor to said frame whereby the entire set of drive rolls and brush can be removed as an integral unit, said brush and roll rotating means including hydraulic motors mounted on said arbor and respectively connected to said drive roll and brush, a hydraulic control panel for controlling the hydraulic flow to each motor to control speed independently for the roll and brush, said brush and roll rotation means including a body operating safety bar mechanism for de-energizing the hydraulic flow to stop the roll and brush.
 12. The machine of claim 11, said safety bar mechanism including an elongated bar, a main hydraulic control valve having a spring-biased spool actuator extending outwardly therefrom, means on said bar for holding said spool actuator in an open flow condition for allowing hydraulic flow to said motors and for allowing movement of said spool actuator upon movement of said safety bar to stop flow to said motors when an operator moves said safety bar. 